One Day University

The finale of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and the Beatles song “Hey Jude” share compelling connections. The scope of each work is unprecedented: a vast choral movement and a seven-minute song were both radical departures for symphonic music and rock ‘n’ roll, respectively. But it’s the singular spiritual message shared by these pieces which truly binds them together across historical time and stylistic distance. In this lecture, Professor Rose explores how both “songs” vividly enact the extraordinary courage it takes for a human being to move out of the darkness of despair into the light of joy. While both fulfill the power of the sung word, each simultaneously critiques the relative power of words and music to carry our deepest emotions. To top it all off, William Shakespeare presents his own grieving “Jude” in Sonnet #8, whom he hopes to turn towards the light through the sweet, singing rhetoric of his verse. Come ready to listen as Beethoven and the Beatles all sing the same transformative song.

Professor Michael Rose is an associate professor of composition in the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University. He is the winner of numerous awards, including the Ellen Gregg Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching, the Chancellor’s Cup for Teaching Excellence, and the prestigious Vanderbilt Chair of Teaching Excellence. Prof. Rose earned his B.A. and M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and his Ph.D. from the Eastman School of Music. He is a founder and co-director of the Exchange Program between the Blair School and Royal Academies of Music in London and Glasgow, where students from each school interact and perform the unique compositions that arise from the exchange. As a composer, Rose has had his own works performed by music ensembles and dance companies throughout the United States and Europe. He is currently working on his second symphony, entitled What Binds Us, What Frees Us (Symphony No. 2).